


Melodic Dreams

by Mez10000



Category: NiGHTS into Dreams
Genre: Actual plot, Complete, Conflicted Loyalties, Friends to Enemies to Friends, Gen, Implied Character Death, Reala-centric, Wordcount: 10.000-30.000, creative use of game mechanics, expanded backstories, good isn't necessarily nice, helen is far more observant than canon, mild existential horror, plot assumes both games are canon and follow after one another, set after Journey of Dreams, songfic (sortof), specific warnings for chapter 8 in notes, the human kids are OOC, this is an improvement on canon, villains who actually do something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-18 07:59:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13677543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mez10000/pseuds/Mez10000
Summary: NiGHTS and Reala have always been close for Nightmaren. Even after turning his back on Wizeman, NiGHTS could never turn his back on Reala. With Wizeman gone, there is a chance for them to reconnect. However, as NiGHTS soon realises, things amongst the Nightmaren have changed a lot and not for good.





	1. Talk

_Oh brother, I can't, I can't get through_

_I've been trying hard to reach you 'cause I don' know what to do_

_Oh brother, I can't believe it's true_

_I'm so scared about the future, and I wanna talk to you_

_Oh, I wanna talk to you_

-Talk, Coldplay

 

A delicate melody wove its way through the dreamscape, much to the delight of the Nightopians playing happily in the grass. This dream was so peaceful - a vast meadow filled with wildflowers and sunshine. A perfect place for NiGHTS to take a break and play for his adoring audience.

Suddenly, the Nightopians scattered with high pitched cries and wails. NiGHTS stopped playing, and NiGHTS peered around, knowing a Nightmaren must be around - himself excluded - to inspire such panic. He could not see anyone else around, though. For once, maybe the Nightopians were wrong?

NiGHTS raised the invisible flute once more, hoping to resume his impromptu concert.

“You still play that thing?”

NiGHTS knew that voice. He turned and frowned, to find Reala, as expected, floating with a grin.

“Reala! So it was _you_ who scared the Nightopians!” NiGHTS placed his hands on his hips. “What are you doing here?”

Reala was floating a respectable distance away, which assured NiGHTS that he was not in immediate danger of being manhandled. Reala also stood alone, though NiGHTS suspected that he could call in some weaker Nightmarens at any point if he wished. But for now, the relaxed posed suggested that Reala didn't have any intentions of capturing him.

“There aren’t any Ideya here,” NiGHTS continued, as Reala seemed uncooperatively quiet. “The Visitor woke up a few minutes ago.”

Perhaps he shouldn't have said that - NiGHTS was at his most vulnerable when alone. But he couldn't help it, where Reala was concerned, NiGHTS tended to speak without thinking. It was too late to take it back, in any case.

“I wasn’t sent by Master Wizeman,” Reala admitted.

The persona mask on Reala’s face lacked its normal polish and gleam. If Wizeman had seen it in this state, Reala would doubtless have been in trouble. His rank and power would probably save him from being outright remade, but there were always creative ways to reprimand a Nightmaren.

“He still hasn’t regained his power?” NiGHTS grinned.

“You don’t have to look quite so proud of yourself,” Reala muttered, though there was a faint ghost of a smile playing on his own lips.

NiGHTS could hardly help it - even with the children’s help, a Nightmaren taking down Wizeman, however temporarily, was such a huge achievement. For months now, dreamers had been enjoying peaceful and fun dreams, completely untroubled by nightmares. It was hard not to feel proud of that.

“You still haven’t answered the question. If Wizeman didn’t send you, then you sent yourself. Did you miss me?” NiGHTS teased.

Reala turned away, drifting aimlessly in a Nightmaren equivalent of pacing. “No. I was--”

NiGHTS decided to save him the bother of finding an excuse. “I missed _you_. We used to be so close…”

It would be fair to say the first-Class Nightmaren had been thick as thieves at one point. Though naturally, it was because of the nature of their thievery that NiGHTS had left.

“And then you turned your back on us,” Reala said, suddenly bitter.

“On Wizeman!” NiGHTS protested. “Not on you.”

Had Reala really taken his actions as a personal slight this whole time?

“Semantics. As long as we remain loyal, you’ll always oppose us.”

“Because what Wizeman has ordered you to do is wrong!” NiGHTS shouted.

Brown leaves tumbled down, carried by a sudden chill breeze. The quiet summer meadow had slowly transformed into an autumnal landscape as they had talked. Hardly the strangest dreamscape either Nightmaren had found themselves in.

NiGHTS wanted to find the words to explain about the visitors; how brave and charming and funny they could be, and how stealing their Ideya felt as wrong as harming his own kind. But the words never came.

NiGHTS felt a faint tug at the core of his being. From the way Reala’s eyes met his, Reala felt it too. Wizeman was summoning all Nightmaren to him. NiGHTS usually ignored the summons and paid little attention to them, but this was a sure sign of Wizeman’s returning strength.

“I must go,” Reala said quietly.

“You don’t have to,” NiGHTS blurted out. “No matter what _he_ says...we don’t have to take orders from him.”

There was a strained moment of silence as frost began to spread spidery tendrils across the dream.

“There’s only room for one traitor amongst our kind.”

Reala flew off without another word, leaving NiGHTS alone. For all of Reala’s protests, the very second Wizeman had summoned them, there was a flash of something suspiciously like panic in his eyes, just for a second. That seemed like less a sign of loyalty, and more like fear.

NiGHTS drifted up into the clouds of the dreamscape as the first flakes of snow began to fall. What had happened to Reala since NiGHTS had left? There had always been a wary respect towards Wizeman, but Reala had never been afraid of anything, much less their master. Things amongst the Nightmaren must really have changed a lot, and none of it seemed for the good.


	2. I Miss You

  _Where are you? and I'm so sorry_

_I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight_

_I need somebody and always_

_This sick strange darkness_

_Comes creeping on so haunting every time_

-Blink-182, I Miss You

 

That night, Will had fallen into a deep sleep, and was happy to find NiGHTS at the dream gate. Helen and Will had seen NiGHTS a few times after Wizeman’s defeat, now, but it was never guaranteed that NiGHTS would seek them out.

As it was, NiGHTS seemed distracted and distant, only greeting Will with a dull, “Hey, Will,” instead of his usual enthusiasm.

“NiGHTS? What’s wrong?”

NiGHTS blinked, and visibly brightened. “It’s nothing. Want to go flying?”

Will was not sure he believed the newly cheerful tone in NiGHTS’ voice, but he doubted direct questions would lead to any answers. The most he could hope for was NiGHTS confiding in his own time, thought NiGHTS could be remarkably secretive for someone so talkative.

They dualized and found a vast city dream to fly around in. Soon, Will was paying attention to the tight turns and swerves, dodging around and over buildings, and hardly remembered NiGHTS’ distractedness. Despite how skilled he had gotten while retrieving his Ideya, the feeling of flying was still so novel and exhilarating that it took all his concentration to remember how to bank sharply and soften his turns.

Then he caught a faint glimpse of red and black in a memory that was not his. Their dualized body stopped dead mid-flight.

“Reala? Why are you thinking about him?”

NiGHTS drifted a little while coming up with the right words. “I ran into him the other night...”

“Are you okay? How did you escape?” Will asked with concern.

“He didn’t capture me, Will.”

“Then what was he there for? Did he go after another person’s Ideya?”

“There wasn’t another Visitor. I think he just came to see me…”

Will frowned, unsure what to make of the idea. Reala just calling in on NiGHTS for a social call? The last time Will had seen Reala, Reala had seized both him and Helen by the neck, and only released them after NiGHTS had challenged him to a duel. He was having trouble reconciling that with the being that NiGHTS was thinking about.

“What if he’s just trying to lure you into a trap?” That seemed to make more sense than simply coming to visit. It was not as though it had not happened before.

“I don’t think he is,” NiGHTS stated quietly. “I _know_ he’s still taking orders from Wizeman, but--”

“Wizeman’s alive?” Will yelped.

“– yes, Wizeman's still alive – but as long as there are no visitors, and Wizeman doesn't order him to capture me, then Reala'll be nice to me, I know it."

"But what if there _are_ visitors, like me, or Helen? What if Wizeman _does_ order him to capture you?"

NiGHTS’ silence spoke for itself.

"NiGHTS, Helen and I…we only want you to be all right, and Reala…" Will did not know how to finish that sentence. What _did_ Reala want?

There was a tangible silence hanging over the pair for a long while. Then:

"Will?"

"Yes, NiGHTS?"

"How long have you been asleep?"

"I don't know – only for a few minutes, I think…" Will frowned in concentration.

NiGHTS did not trust the estimate – visitors _always_ swore that they had only been asleep a few minutes. Normally, they were asleep for nine hours, and then the Awakeners came, but they would still always say it had only been a few minutes…

Suddenly, Awakeners began to appear, pursuing the dualized pair. While one alone was no match for NiGHTS' speed and skill, soon more came, ganging up and encircling the pair. 

"All right, all right, just a few more minutes," Will muttered at the creatures crossly. He knew he'd have to wake up soon, anyway, and with no trouble in Nightopia lately, there was no reason to struggle against the Awakeners. But he did worry about NiGHTS…

The Nightmaren was looking from side to side, trying to find a way of evading the creatures for just a few more seconds, and he found it – a little unguarded gap to their right! NiGHTS shot through the space, into the clear air, but it was not long before they were pursued again. NiGHTS used all his skill and finesse to out fly the Awakeners, relishing the challenge. 

Little was he aware that he had an audience. From behind cover on the ground, Reala watched NiGHTS' elegant flight. He was not stupid – he knew that the sudden appearance of the Awakener's meant that a visitor was dualized with NiGHTS, and that visitor was about to wake up. He decided he did not care. This visitor’s Ideya would not be worth the extra hassle he would need to go through to secure them. Besides, Wizeman had not given him any actual orders to collect Ideya, not yet, anyway.

NiGHTS was just so theatrical, sometimes. Every tiny movement, from the twirl of his body down to the flick in his fingers seemed perfectly rehearsed. Watching another Nightmaren glide easily through the sky should not have been so compelling, Reala knew this, but he just could not stop himself. It was beautiful.

Of course, Nightmaren should not prize _beauty_. Obviously, NiGHTS was wearing off on him, that sentimental idiot.

Suddenly, NiGHTS stopped, and Reala wondered what was wrong. Then he realised – NiGHTS was looking straight at him, a look of shock registered on his face. His eyes quickly flicked back to the Awakeners in an unspoken question: _"Does he realise there's a visitor here?"_

Reala nodded with a glare. _"Of course I do, you idiot! How stupid do you think I am?"_ At least, that was the message he was hoping for – a lot seemed to be lost in translation.

NiGHTS broke into a wild grin, and continued his and Will's futile escape from the Awakeners. Now, he had to be showing off, Reala thought enviously, as NiGHTS added more twirls and loops to his flight effortlessly. Still, in a few minutes, the Awakeners had caught him and extracted the visitor. After, the little white blobs scattered and disappeared, as if they had never been there.


	3. Sleep

_ The hardest part is letting go of your dreams. _

_ A drink for the horror that I'm in, _

_ For the good guys, and the bad guys, _

_ For the monsters that I've been. _

_ Three cheers for tyranny, _

_ Unapologetic apathy, _

_ Cause there ain't no way that I'm coming back again. _

-Sleep, My Chemical Romance

 

As soon as Will woke up, NiGHTS raced back to the spot where he had seen Reala. He was not sure what Reala was doing here, but he clearly was not here to cause trouble. Despite the more rash things they had said to each other, NiGHTS was genuinely glad to see Reala again.

NiGHTS had a mischievous idea and slowed before he got to Reala, silently drifting the last short distance.

“Reala!” NiGHTS exclaimed loudly.

The sudden start from Reala as he whipped around told NiGHTS that he had successfully caught him off guard. It was only fair; Reala had managed the reverse far too often.

“NiGHTS. I see your guest has finally gone.”

“They all have to wake up sometime,” NiGHTS shrugged. “We were surprised to see you here, though.”

The human had noticed him? Reala was not sure what to make of that. He was well aware that NiGHTS’ friends mistrusted him - and with good reason; what reason did a mouse have to trust a cat? What Reala did not know is how much their opinion might influence NiGHTS’ own. After all, he turned his back on his brothers simply for the concept of humans - now he knew them better, would he side with them completely?

“And?” Reala asked, tone carefully guarded.

“Why  _ are _ you here?”

“Can’t a Nightmaren want to visit his closest - if a little wayward - sibling?”

“Is Jackle not being a good sport these days?” NiGHTS asked.

NiGHTS and Reala used to annoy Jackle persistently back in the day, only narrowly avoiding a direct reprimand due to their rank. It had been fun flying rings around him and messing with his cards until Jackle had to put his foot down.

Reala’s silence stretched on for a beat too long, obviously uncomfortable by the mention of Jackle.

“What’s wrong?”

“Jackle isn’t...all of the Nightmaren tasked with bringing you back were unmade. All except…”

“Wizeman destroyed all of them? Puffy? Clawz?”

Reala nodded slowly. “He used aspects of them to try again, but they were never the same.”

NiGHTS could tell that. Donbalon and Puffy were not the same being, yet NiGHTS could tell they had similarities. He had thought that Wizeman had simply designed them with a type in mind, but this splicing and remaking of Nightmaren was simply horrific. His hands flew to his mouth to disguise the gasp of horror.

“You’re the only one he didn’t…”

“My rank spared me. Wizeman doesn’t have the power to remake another First-level Nightmaren, not with you causing havoc at every turn.”

NiGHTS felt a trickle of relief despite himself. At least for now, Reala was safe. But their old friends, their  _ family _ ...how many Nightmaren had been unmade before NiGHTS had even met them? What if everything  _ he  _ was was just fragments of another Nightmaren that had gone before him? His curiosity, his energy, his skills, all some horrific jigsaw of Nightmaren he would never know? Who would even be around to remember them? With the loss of the Second-level Nightmaren, Reala was likely the Nightmaren with the oldest memories.

NiGHTS hands clenched into fists. “Wizeman has to be stopped.”

“And how exactly do you plan to do that? Your previous attempts have been temporary hindrances at best,” Reala bitterly spat.

NiGHTS sagged at the reminder. “I can’t just do nothing. There has to be a way to defeat Wizeman for good!”

“If he disappears, we’ll disappear right along with him.”

“We don’t  _ know  _ that, Reala! He’s the one who said that in the first place. Maybe this is why? Maybe he just wants us to fear his disappearance so we never rise up against him?”

“Or he is telling the truth and you’re planning to wipe out more of us than Wizeman ever has,” Reala argued, folding his arms. “Why do you even care? You made it perfectly clear that you chose those  _ humans _ over us. You don’t get to pity us now.”

Is that what Reala really thought of him? When would he realise that it was never about choosing a side?

“I don’t pity you,” NiGHTS said, turning his gaze on Reala. “But who else would ever stand against Wizeman?”

Reala huffed.

“You?” NiGHTS asked incredulously.

“Of course not.  _ I  _ know my place.”

NiGHTS frowned. “Behind a mask?”

Reala touched the persona mask lightly with his claws. NiGHTS noticed it had been freshly polished this time.

“If I need to be,” Reala retorted, but the bite had gone from his words.

NiGHTS fell silent. There was so much to take in and think about, but NiGHTS had never been one for thinking. It simply turned to nervous worrying if he did not act on it, and even he knew that to act rashly on this would be too dangerous even for him to handle. What he needed now was an outlet, a way to stop thinking for a while, before he did something reckless.

“Fly with me?”

“What?” Reala was obviously confused by the sudden change in direction the conversation had taken.

“I need to do something!” NiGHTS exclaimed, punctuated by a violent little surge upwards. “And we haven’t flown together since…”

It was probably for the best NiGHTS failed to finish that sentence.

“Why should I indulge you?”

NiGHTS shrugged, but the little grin he wore suggested he knew exactly what to say. “I don’t know, the last time I checked, I beat you two to nothing...”

Reala lunged, but NiGHTS was already off, using his headstart to weave a complicated path through the neon lights of the dreamscape. Reala threw himself into following, pushing himself to match the tight turns and steep inclines with more speed. He was not about to let himself be beaten again, especially after that little reminder. Sharp left around a lamp, veer right under an archway, bank up to skirt the side of the building, tight turn around the wall and...lose sight not only of NiGHTS but also of his trail. Reala has sworn he was right on NiGHTS’ heels, yet he seemed to have disappeared without a trace.

Just when Reala was starting to worry - had another Nightmaren been tasked with capturing NiGHTS? Had Wizeman taken notice of these little indiscretions and decided to send someone else? What if capturing NiGHTS was no longer the priority and destroying him was? Reala had thought Wizeman would value a captured NiGHTS more, but perhaps he had changed his mind after his last defeat? What if--

Reala’s thoughts were scattered by a light weight on his forehead. He twisted out from underneath it and glared up at...NiGHTS. Whole and well, pointing a gloved finger where Reala’s head had been.

“You must be getting rusty. You would never have fallen for a simple trick like that before!”

NiGHTS was right. Reala should have realised that NiGHTS would have taken an opportunity to double back and sneak up on Reala the moment he was out of sight. It had been one of his usual tricks to pull, to the point where Reala had checked behind and above him more frequently than in front.

“Chalk it up to the lack of worthy opponents.”

“Then visit me more often!” NiGHTS shouted, taking off again.

Reala gave chase but quickly considered his options. In a flat-out race, he might be able to match NiGHTS speed, if he was lucky, but NiGHTS was already familiar with the dreamscape and had the edge in experience. Simply following his lead would put Reala at a disadvantage, and leave him open to another ambush.

Reala saw his opening when NiGHTS took a steep turn around a building. He suspected NiGHTS wouldn’t be able to resist looping round, diving underneath an archway and pulling up to avoid colliding with the bridge. It would be a demanding manoeuvre, allowing NiGHTS to show off his acrobatic flair at high speed, and would set him up to gain a greater lead if Reala so much as faltered as he followed. But Reala would not be following. Instead, the small gap between archway and bridge would be perfect for an ambush. NiGHTS would be focused on the manoeuvre, and unable to spare the attention to other lines of sight.

He waited a moment before NiGHTS came through, exactly as he had expected. Reala put on a sudden burst of speed, barreling into NiGHTS from the side. Reala broke their fall to prevent them from crashing into a building, wrapping an arm around NiGHTS’ chest.

NiGHTS wriggled a little in the hold, trying to squirm out of the grasp.

“Reala! Let go of me,” NiGHTS laughed.

Reala let NiGHTS go with a smirk. NiGHTS grinned back. Their faces fell, however, when they both felt the tug of Wizeman’s summons.

“I need to go,” Reala said.

NiGHTS face fell, though he had been expecting it. For a moment, it had felt just like old times, and NiGHTS ached for the simplicity of it. It was not as though he would ever go back to Wizeman - humans were worth protecting; he would not turn his back on them - but he could not help missing the good times he had had with his siblings.

“I will try and visit again,” Reala added quietly, before fleeing into the dream.

NiGHTS drifted slowly, feeling more alone than ever. Now Reala was gone, he could not help but worry about everything he had learnt. He wished he had known sooner, but even if he had, what could he have done differently? No matter what he did, Wizeman would eventually gather his power back together again, and when he did, his creations bore the brunt of his wrath.

It just was not fair. Even trapped and alone in a cage, NiGHTS had never felt quite so powerless.


	4. Come As You Are

_ Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be, _

_ As a friend, as a friend, as an old enemy, _

_ Take your time, hurry up, choice is yours, don’t be late, _

_ Take a rest, as a friend, as an old memory. _

-Nirvana, Come As You Are

 

Somehow, Reala had slipped away from Wizeman without being noticed again, and NiGHTS had been overjoyed to see him. With no visitors to occupy his attention, he had been getting bored, but now he welcomed their absence, since it meant Reala had no conflict of interests by being there. Before long, the pair had engaged themselves in friendly rivalry by racing laps around the Dream Gate.

NiGHTS was winning, much to Reala’s chagrin, but the smaller Nightmaren had always been a touch more agile in his turns. Reala kept the pressure on, regardless, never very far behind. Honestly, he had missed this - truly being challenged and pushed to the limits of his flying skills. None of the other Nightmaren had ever come close to their speed and agility, and no one else had ever kept up with NiGHTS’ seemingly limitless energy.

Suddenly, Reala saw an opportunity to pull ahead - NiGHTS had slowed, just for a second, his attention flickering elsewhere. It was all the time Reala needed to dart ahead. With a sudden burst of speed, he took the lead, passing NiGHTS by in a blur of colour.

It only took a moment for NiGHTS to get back alongside Reala, but to his surprise, NiGHTS tackled him out of the air and send them both tumbling down to the ground.

“What was that for?” Reala shouted indignantly. “I was  _ winning _ !”

NiGHTS scrambled to gesture for quiet, a finger held up to his mouth, but Reala was too stung by the sudden foul play to care. He picked himself up, taking care to brush off the dirt clinging to him from their sudden landing. NiGHTS could not let him have one little taste of victory, could he? Even in play, he had to be the victor, even if he had to cheat.

Reala heard a rustle in the bushes behind him and turned, eyes narrowed. If a Nightopian was stupid enough to bother them now, they would have to face Reala’s wrath, especially if NiGHTS was going to continue to be uncharacteristically quiet. To his surprise, it was not a Nightopian who burst into the clearing.

It was a human. Reala stared - had he really been so caught up in their game that he had failed to notice the dreamer and their Ideya? Slowly - far too slowly - he realised that NiGHTS had known. He had sensed it, in that little moment Reala had used to overtake him. Then NiGHTS must not have wanted Reala and the human to meet, so tackled Reala to the ground.

Who was NiGHTS looking out for? The human? On any other night, Reala would be ordered to take the humans Ideya; he still should, even without orders. But perhaps it was not so simple. NiGHTS might simply be looking out for himself - he would feel duty-bound to retrieve the Ideya once stolen, just as Reala would be commanded to take them. If the human never met Reala, the entire conflict could be sidestepped, if only for a night.

Reala actually looked at the human. He recognised her, much to his surprise. Not many humans had made enough of an impression to be worth remembering. She also recognised him, if the wide eyes and gaping mouth were anything to go by.

Reala realised another motivation behind keeping them separate - NiGHTS’ own reputation. He doubted any of the humans fully grasped the extent of his and NiGHTS’ shared history, something which he had, admittedly, once exploited.

“Leave NiGHTS alone!” the girl shouted, running to place herself squarely between Reala and NiGHTS.

Slowly - why was he thinking so slowly still - he saw the scene from an outside perspective. NiGHTS was still sprawled on the ground from their tumble to earth, with Reala standing tall above him. Not only that, Reala’s obvious anger and irritation...it was all too easy to see what conclusion the girl had jumped to.

“Helen,” NiGHTS started.

“It’s alright! This time, I’ll protect you!”

Reala tried not to burst out into laughter. Helen obviously did not realise how weak she looked, and how absurdly easy it would have been to seize her Ideya right there and then. As it was, he could not help a few stray chuckles.

“Helen, Reala wasn’t trying to hurt me,” NiGHTS tried to explain.

NiGHTS picked himself up with a little acrobatic flip. Showoff.

“Then what happened?”

Helen was still keeping her eyes warily on Reala. He could not blame her - he thought he might have less respect for NiGHTS’ friends if they did let their guard down immediately, considering their past interactions.

“We were racing.”

“You were racing? With  _ Reala _ ?”

“Well it’s not as though Owl is much competition,” NiGHTS huffed.

“Will did say something was going on, but NiGHTS, you can’t trust him. Remember everything he did?”

“Of course I do!” NiGHTS replied hotly. “But it’s not that simple. It’s not like he had much of a choice!”

This made Helen look round to NiGHTS. “It seems to me that he had every choice you did, but he chose differently.”

Reala took the opportunity to fly away the second the girl turned her head. He was not  _ fleeing _ , not from a human, yet...somehow, her words had hurt, and Reala did not quite know why. Everything she said was perfectly reasonable from her point of view, he could accept that. Reala had done things that hurt NiGHTS. That had hurt the child. He  _ had _ been given a choice. He had chosen to remain loyal, and he remained in existence.

He had tried to capture NiGHTS as earnestly as he followed any other order. At first, he was naive enough to believe that NiGHTS may get away with a simple reprimand, and then be welcomed back, but as time went on, it was quite clear that Wizeman would stop at nothing less than destroying NiGHTS. Reala’s efforts were not any less earnest despite the realisation. If they had been, he was sure he would no longer be here.

He did not want to disappear. He did not want NiGHTS to disappear. He did not want to oppose NiGHTS. He did not want to oppose Wizeman.

It was all well and simple for the child to spout nonsense about choice, but she obviously knew nothing of how difficult choices truly were. There was no good choice here, no one way to prevent all the things he feared. Did she expect everyone to simply run away like NiGHTS? Had she no idea how cruelly Wizeman had retaliated after losing NiGHTS? Of course she did not. Simple humans could not hope to understand Nightmaren. It was obviously why NiGHTS usually kept his heritage a secret.

Her words had hurt, but only through her ignorance. Worse, he worried that NiGHTS may only listen to the child’s words. He had been away from Nightmare for so long; what if he had forgotten what it was like? What if he decided Reala was not to be trusted after all? What if he was right?

“Reala!”

Great, now NiGHTS was following him. How had he gotten rid of the human so quickly?

He glanced up to see NiGHTS flying toward him, though there was a stiff awkwardness about him that was unusual. He looked wary and hesitant to get too close. A far cry from his typical nonchalance.

“Helen and Will just don’t know you very well. I thought if they could see you as I do--”

That’s why NiGHTS seemed different.

“You dualized with her? For such a ridiculous reason?” Reala said, aghast.

He knew NiGHTS dualized more than any other Nightmaren, and worse, he let them have some measure of control over him. It just seemed so wrong to him, to have another being under your skin, inside your mind, controlling your every move...and a human, no less. Now he was really looking, he could see the awkward mannerisms that were Helen’s - a hand hovering over a heart that NiGHTS did not have, a slight tilt to the head. The slight frown, though, was probably all NiGHTS.

"Hey! Helping my friends get along is not a ridiculous reason!”

"You'd still call Reala a friend? After everything he's done?" Helen said with NiGHTS' voice.

"One of my oldest. He's like...a brother."

"Brother?! NiGHTS, siblings don't do things like this to each other."

"You don't understand, Reala doesn't have a choice."

"So what, you just have a friend you can never trust? NiGHTS--"

Reala watched the bickering with interest. He'd never seen people dualized so obviously at odds with each other. Usually NiGHTS seemed to share a common goal with the people he dualized with and worked seamlessly with them. It was fascinating to see someone seemingly at odds with themselves - even if you were the source of the dissent. 

“I don’t think this is going to work,” they declared, finally.

NiGHTS flew down and in a flash of light, NiGHTS and Helen were separated once again.

NiGHTS seemed fatigued by the sudden undualizing, drifting slowly close to the ground for a long while, before perking up and coming back to his usual chirpy self.

“I’m never going to understand you the way NiGHTS seems to,” Helen frowned. “Not when there’s so much I don’t know. Maybe if you could answer some questions?”

Reala frowned in response. This was not where he had expected the night to go…

“Aren’t you concerned I’ll lie to you all over again?” he grinned. “Twist the truth and turn you against NiGHTS?”

That had been rather fun, if he did say so himself.

Helen crossed her arms. “I trust NiGHTS. Just because I’m asking a question doesn’t mean I’ll believe the answer.”

Reala chuckled. It looked like the child had grown a bit from the experience. Well, manipulating a naive child was a little beneath him. Far too easy.

NiGHTS shrugged and reclined in mid-air, but Reala could sense that NiGHTS was following this with much more interest than he was letting on.

“Ask away, then.” Reala spread his hands invitingly.

“How did you meet?”

Reala blinked. Helen had not even needed a second to think. Had she been wondering about it for all this time? Had NiGHTS kept her so much in the dark?

“We both worked for Master Wizeman. We were created to steal Ideya and we were good at it. We were  _ both  _ exceptionally good, the best our master had ever created. Our siblings couldn’t even come close.”

Helen looked over at NiGHTS for confirmation. He gave a tiny nod but failed to meet her eyes.

“It was only natural that we would know each other well. We were the only Nightmaren of our rank. Wizeman’s trusted generals,” Reala explained.

Helen nodded slowly. Reala was surprised at the lack of reaction - he would have thought at least some of this would be shocking or upsetting, given NiGHTS’ obvious reluctance to talk about it.

“Then NiGHTS left, didn’t he?” she asked.

“Yes,” Reala answered, the words tasting sour in his mouth. “He claimed that everything we were doing was wrong and ran away. We didn’t realise how serious he was until some third level Nightmaren mysteriously vanished. We all thought it was one of his temper tantrums - you know how he can be.”

“Reala!” NiGHTS protested.

Helen, however, wore a little smile. Reala wondered how he could have failed so badly - he certainly had not intended to  _ entertain  _ Helen. He was not even sure how he had done it. All he had done was explain exactly how powerful and effective NiGHTS used to be at stealing Ideya...

“I always wondered, and NiGHTS didn’t seem to want to talk about it,” Helen said. “It makes a lot more sense now.”

NiGHTS looked up at Helen. “I’m not proud of it,” he said. “That isn’t who I am anymore.”

“I know that,” Helen assured him. “After everything we’ve been through, me and Will trust you. But knowing a little more...I can understand why you’d be lonely.”

NiGHTS smiled faintly but still failed to meet Helen's gaze.

Helen turned to Reala. “I still don't know what to make of you. And I don't think you'd give me a straight answer even if I asked.”

“Why don't you try it?”

Even Reala was not entirely sure if his answer was a threat or an invitation, his teeth bared in a sharp, grim grin. Helen seemed to take it as an invitation and pondered her next words carefully.

“You're smart. Smarter than you let on, I think. You know NiGHTS really well. You know NiGHTS still cares about you regardless of what side either of you are on. Will told me how you captured NiGHTS by playing up your injuries.”

“Flattery won't get you anywhere,” Reala snarled. “What's your point?”

“You command other Nightmaren, have a thorough knowledge of NiGHTS' weaknesses and know how to use them. You are practically an expert on capturing NiGHTS.”

Even NiGHTS was openly paying rapt attention now.

“If you were truly loyal to Wizeman, then how come NiGHTS has managed to escape every time?”

Reala's hands clenched reflexively. When had the child become so damned insightful? If asked, even in the privacy of his own mind, he would never have thought that he was purposefully letting NiGHTS go, yet now it was called to his attention, he realised how pathetic his efforts were. Regardless of how elaborately he captured NiGHTS, once he had, he followed a pattern, and that pattern always included NiGHTS' eventual escape. He could see the simplest of measures that he could have taken to help prevent it, now.

If this was the conclusion of a child, how long would it take Master Wizeman to realise the same things?

“I...I failed to account for human intervention,” Reala explained quickly.

“Once or twice? Perhaps I'd believe that. But...”

“Helen, you should stop,” NiGHTS interrupted.

“Huh?”

NiGHTS drifted over to Reala, hesitantly placing a hand on his shoulder. Reala realised he was shaking and tried to school himself into a measure of calm.

“If Wizeman even suspected any of this, it...wouldn't be good,” NiGHTS explained, making soothing little strokes with his thumb.

Helen made an embarrassed little sound. “Sorry. I didn't think about it like that. I just wanted to make sure that NiGHTS would be okay...”

It was pretty novel, being apologized to by a human. Reala wondered how the night had wound up like this. He should have expected it – things rarely went to plan when NiGHTS was around. Still, Reala was not about to let his facade – as much he had not realised it was – crumble so easily. He brushed off NiGHTS' hand with a scowl.

“There is nothing to apologise for, because you are wrong. I underestimated humans,” he reaffirmed. “That is all.”

NiGHTS smiled. “Of course. As long as you keep underestimating--”

He cut himself off upon feeling Wizeman's summons. He was almost too slow to notice the way Reala flinched. Almost.

“If you'll excuse me, Master Wizeman wishes to see me,” Reala said, mainly for the benefit of the bewildered Helen, who was looking between NiGHTS and Reala in confusion.

“Reala, wait,” NiGHTS blurted. “If Wizeman ever tried...I won't let him hurt you.”

Reala appreciated the sentiment, he truly did. But NiGHTS had not known about their siblings' fates until Reala had disclosed them. Any action on NiGHTS' part would come far too late to be of any use to him, he suspected. There was nothing he could say to such a hollow statement. He simply left wordlessly.

When all was said and done, Reala suspected that it was him, not NiGHTS, who was the lonely one.


	5. Leave Out All The Rest

_I'm strong on the surface_  
  
_Not all the way through_  
  
_I've never been perfect_  
  
_But neither have you._

-Linkin Park, Leave Out All The Rest

 

Reala knelt before Master Wizeman's large form. No matter how often he received his orders, there was always a sense of awestruck terror in his presence that had only grown lately. He had watched the weakened Wizeman haul himself back into his full power once again, and now those great terrible hands watched Reala with their critical eyes set in their palms. Reala wondered at the strength in those disembodied hands, that could crush a Nightmaren so easily. He also wondered how any being could stand to watch their actions so closely. He had never seen one of those six large eyes blink.

“Once again, Reala, I find that NiGHTS is at large, thwarting my every move.”

This was news to Reala – NiGHTS had done relatively little thwarting lately, on account of Wizeman being more cautious as he still amassed his former power. He could sense that period of time was coming to an end.

“Once again, I task you with retrieving him. Your past failures do not give me hope, but I trust you will not allow another such failure to stain your reputation.”

“No, Master Wizeman,” Reala answered, gaze firmly locked downwards. “NiGHTS has been lucky so far, but the fool's luck will run out now.”

“Luck? You blame luck for your failings?”

“N-no, Master. I see now that I must ensure that he is not given even the slightest chance of escape.”

“Very well. Though why it has taken quite so long to arrive at such an obvious revelation is beyond me. Leave, and capture NiGHTS.”

“Yes, Master.”

Reala rose and fled from sight. It had happened, as he had known it would. Master Wizeman had given the order. Reala had survived failure before, but he could feel Master Wizeman's patience growing thin. It was only a matter of time before either Reala or NiGHTS was unmade, and Reala was not sure which option he hated most.

Reala found himself drifting towards Nightopia unthinkingly. He wanted to talk to someone who would understand everything, who fully comprehended the gravity of his orders. Unfortunately, as always, there was only one Nightmaren who could, and as he was the target of his orders...

Reala wavered for a moment, then shot in the direction of Nightopia. Despite his misgivings, he knew that on his own, he would turn the problem round and round in his head, and only end up worse for the worrying. He needed to talk, and if that left NiGHTS all the wiser of what was happening, it hardly mattered. It was not as though the orders would come as any great surprise.

He found NiGHTS flying loops around a waterfall, arching gracefully in and out of the water with seemingly no effort. Reala had to call out before NiGHTS noticed him.

“Reala!” he burst excitedly, a grin on his face. The expression fell when he noticed Reala's own dour expression. “What's wrong?”

“Master Wizeman has made it quite clear that I am to capture you or face the consequences.”

“We knew it was going to happen eventually,” NiGHTS pointed out. “More importantly – what are you going to do?”

“I don't know!” Reala answered hotly. “Another failure, even one that is not my fault...and Master Wizeman may decide I have outlived my usefulness. He is reaching the end of his patience.”

NiGHTS frowned. “And if you succeed...I've _definitely_ outlived my usefulness to Wizeman, haven't I?”

Reala slumped. “What can I do? I don't want...”

NiGHTS let Reala trail off, but he wondered how that sentence would end. Didn't want to disappear? Didn't want to lose another sibling? Didn't want to lose NiGHTS?

“If I defeated Wizeman again, made him too weak to act-”

“It would only buy time. You know that. Even attempting would be risky – it was a miracle you've managed it at all.”

“But I did,” NiGHTS chirped. “And miracles can happen twice, you know.”

“Not to me.”

NiGHTS pondered it a moment. “You could join me in running away,” he offered again.

“And help humans?” he scowled. “Not happening.”

“Aw, they aren't that bad, Reala. No one said you had to help them, either. Just don't actively hurt them, and you would be okay.”

“Even if I did – which I won't – how long do you truly think it is until Master Wizeman turns his attention to capturing both of us? Subjecting another sibling to the same dilemma? He may even decide the situation is dire enough to risk creating a new First-level Nightmaren.”

NiGHTS pouted. “You could try to come up with a solution instead of poking holes in mine.”

“There isn't anything that can be done,” Reala said, finally. “I know that. I just hoped that you had...anything. Any kind of plan.”

“Reala, I never have a plan. It all seems to work out!”

Reala fixed NiGHTS with a glare. It broke after a half second of NiGHTS' resolute optimism.

“So we do nothing?”

“Yes. Which includes no worrying or fretting. I promise everything will work out!”

Far away from all this, Wizeman was contemplating his next move. He knew better than to rely on Reala alone to finally bring NiGHTS to heel. There were far too many failures there to count already; he was already anticipating another if he failed to intervene.

“Luck?” he mused aloud, recalling Reala's words. “Perhaps I should send someone who could stack the deck in my favour?”


	6. The Kill

_I tried to be someone else_   
_But nothing seemed to change_   
_I know now, this is who I really am inside_   
_I've finally found myself_   
_Fighting for a chance_   
_I know now, this is who I really am_

-30 Seconds To Mars, The Kill

 

NiGHTS wandered the dreamscape, bored. All this waiting was wearing him thin, he wanted to _do_ something. But he hadn't seen Reala for what seemed like an age, and even his visitor friends had seemed not to sleep deeply enough to dream lately. He thought gloomily that both could be evidence of further action on Wizeman’s part, but without anything more to go on, he couldn't take action.

Even the dreamscape was boring - dull earth the colour of ash stretched out as far as the eye could see, broken only by deep rocky ravines and shrivelled black trees devoid of any life. It was a truly barren environment, and NiGHTS would have worried for the mind that dreamed it up if he weren't preoccupied with his own thoughts.

On the horizon, he saw a figure - a tiny speck of darkness against the red-grey sky. Finally, a distraction. He flew towards the figure, stopping short when he was close enough to make out more details.

The figure glided above the ground, never touching it. It wore a jagged cape of lurid oranges and yellows, with a pair of familiar curved horns that were so rare amongst Nightmaren.

“Jackle?” NiGHTS breathed.

But that was impossible - Reala had said Jackle had been unmade. Perhaps Reala was lying - or maybe he was mistaken! What if all their old friends were safe and unharmed and it has all been a big misunderstanding? 

“Jackle!” NiGHTS called before he could stop himself.

The figure glanced over his shoulder, showing just a flash of jagged, grinning teeth, before he took off, flying fast and low to the ground.

NiGHTS took chase - he couldn't lose the figure without finding out what was going on, and if they thought they could outfly NiGHTS, they were sorely mistaken. NiGHTS had the edge in speed, even with the figure’s head start, and with no obstacles obscuring his view, NiGHTS could see his quarry and the gap between them closing with every passing second.

At the base of a tall gnarled tree, NiGHTS drew within touching distance and seized the edge of the figure’s cape.

“I've caught you!” He declared triumphantly.

The figure stopped and turned. His eyes met NiGHTS’ - they were blank and lacked any trace of emotion.

“I've caught you,” the figure parroted, voice flat.

The figure wrenched out of NiGHTS’ grasp just as a cage rose from the ground, enveloping him and trapping NiGHTS soundly within. The figure stared at him, but his face and expression betrayed no hint of emotion.

“Jackle? Don't you remember me?”

“You remember me.”

“Of course I do! I used to...well, I used to annoy you, really, but it was only ever in good fun! You were a brother to us.”

“You were a brother to us.” In the mouth of the figure, the echoed statement seemed more an accusation than an appeal.

“You aren't Jackle, are you?”

“Aren’t Jackle,” the figure confirmed with a humourless grin, turning sharply on his heel and drifting off.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“Going.”

“Let me out! Please!”

“Please,” the figure mocked, leaving without another word.

NiGHTS cursed his inattention as he tested the limits of the cage. It held as fast as any he’d been captured in before. He should have known it was a trick, but he had just wanted to believe that his brethren were safe and that they hadn't truly faced anything as awful as being unmade. He was willing to deceive himself and believe Reala a liar rather than acknowledge they had met with such a terrible punishment for failing to capture him. He had paid a high price for his naivety.

The cage was positioned perfectly - the gnarled tree was tall, with few branches at lower levels. The one the cage was attached to dangled perilously over a deep chasm, with no chain dangling down. If NiGHTS’ only hope for rescue was a visitor, first they would have to navigate the barren dreamscape, only to climb high up the tree with little help, and shimmy down the chain attaching the cage to the tree, all without falling down the ravine. Of course, that assumed that there would be a visitor at all…

NiGHTS called out. Only a high harsh whistle of wind answered. The horizon looked bleak and featureless in every direction, and the flat wastes ensured he could see for miles around. NiGHTS sighed and rested on the floor of the cage. It looked like any hope for a rescue was gone, and reluctantly he settled down to wait for whatever fate had in store for him.

What felt like hours later, NiGHTS felt a pair of eyes on him and whirled round to look. With his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face, Reala was nevertheless a welcome sight.

“So it is true...you did get captured,” he spat.

“Reala! It was Jackle - well, not really Jackle, they just look the same - and I was trying to find out what had happened and…”

“You just followed obligingly into a trap, didn’t you? Of all the stupid, foolhardy things to do!” Reala shouted. “If you would just listen to me _once_ in your existence…”

NiGHTS shrank in on himself. He hadn’t heard Reala so angry for a long time. Frustrated, annoyed, bitter...those were all too common, but this kind of naked fury was terrifying.

“It’s not like I wanted to be captured,” NiGHTS protested weakly.

Reala froze. For just a second, NiGHTS could see it - not anger, but fear - then it was gone again, schooled into something calmer and unreadable.

“How long have you been in there?”

NiGHTS frowned at the sudden change in conversation but tried to think. “I don’t know. A while? There’s no way to mark time here, it’s all...” he gestured out at the landscape.

Reala nodded faintly, mouth pressed thin. “Stay there,” he ordered, flying away at high speed.

“Wait, what?” NiGHTS spluttered, pressing up against the walls of the cage to watch Reala’s departure. “Where are you...oh, very funny, like I _can_ go anywhere!”


	7. High Hopes

_ I remember it now, it takes me back to when it all first started _

_ But I've only got myself to blame for it, and I accept it now _

_ It's time to let it go, go out and start again _

_ But it's not that easy _

 

_ But I've got high hopes, it takes me back to when we started _

_ High hopes, when you let it go, go out and start again _

_ High hopes, when it all comes to an end _

_ But the world keeps spinning around _

 

-High Hopes, Kodaline

 

As soon as Reala had seen NiGHTS in the cage, he had been gripped by a cold fear. His desperate flight out of the dreamscape only gave him time to dwell on it. NiGHTS had been captured. Worse, Reala hadn’t been the one to do it. And now Reala had seen such an efficient trap, it just made it all the more obvious how lacklustre his own attempts had been. Wizeman wasn’t a fool; he would see Reala had not been trying his best to carry out his orders. Then...Reala didn’t know exactly what would happen, but his best guess involved both First level Nightmaren being destroyed rather rapidly.

He knew he had to do something. For both their sakes, NiGHTS had to escape. Preferably without Reala being implicated in the attempt.

Reala tried to herd his thoughts towards an escape plan and productive plans, but all his treacherous mind was giving him was worry about the potential consequences of failure and the persistent question: who was he most worried for? Himself or NiGHTS?

“Why did that fool get himself into this situation in the first place?” Reala growled to himself.

No one answered. This was, all things considered, a relief.

He was flying towards the dream gate when he saw a couple of figures, stood on the ground. Vistors! That’s how NiGHTS has always escaped before, this was how he could escape again. He adjusted his angle so he headed directly for them. It was only as he drew near that he recognised them as Will and Helen. So much the easier - he wouldn’t need to explain much, and time was of the essence. Every wasted moment was a moment Nightmaren could be bringing NiGHTS to Master Wizeman.

He swooped near, grabbing the arm of each child. “Come here.”

Helen yelled in shock. Both children tried to struggle out of his grasp, and after a moment, he let them, sensing they wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

“Reala,” Helen panted, narrowing her eyes. “Up to no good again?”

Will had backed off a little bit, adjusting his stance to keep his centre of gravity low. Both children looked defensive, as though they were going to fight him. At any other time, the very idea would be laughable. As it was, Reala just wanted to throw his hands up in despair.

“NiGHTS has been captured,” he hissed, voice low.

“Congratulations,” Will spat. “Celebrations all round at Wizeman’s, then?”

“I didn’t...I want to help him escape,” Reala explained.

“Of course you do,” Helen sarcastically. “And you’ve never lied to any of us in order to trap us...we aren’t going to fall for that again.”

“Why won’t anyone just listen?” Reala ground out. “Look, either NiGHTS is in trouble and you’re his only hope for escape and you’re dismissing me and dooming him. Or I’m lying to get you into a trap in which case surely NiGHTS would rescue you and there’s no harm done.”

“Unless you’ve captured him first,” Helen suggested.

“What can I say to get you to believe me?”

Helen thought for a second. “Take off your mask.”

Reala was stunned. Why his persona? But in desperation, he did so.

“Look at me.”

Reala looked at Helen, who was regarding him with piercing blue eyes. He shifted uncomfortably under the gaze - how was it that simply removing his persona mask made him feel so vulnerable?

“Tell me what happened.”

“I didn’t see it. NiGHTS followed what he thought was a sibling into a trap. I only found him afterwards.”  

Helen remained quiet for a long moment. Finally: “I think you’re actually telling the truth.”

Reala snapped his mask back in place. “So you’ll help him?”

Helen nodded. Will shrugged. They both looked wary but resigned to follow this plan to whichever end it led to. He grabbed both children by the arm once again and took off, beelining for the barren dreamscape. While he had no problems physically lifting the children they were an uncomfortable ballast on both arms, limiting his ability to twist and turn. He was reminded of the time he had grabbed both by the neck, lifting them off the ground. For some reason, the memory left an unpleasant twinge of guilt in its wake.

“Wouldn't this be easier if you dualised with one of us?” Helen pointed out.

Reala shuddered. Both children clung to Reala’s arms, suddenly not trusting his grip to keep them aloft.

“Absolutely not.”

Reala couldn't understand the appeal - a body that was no longer his, being used as a puppet more surely than any scheme developed by Wizeman. NiGHTS may be fine with it, but he was determined to keep control of one of the precious few things he could at any cost.

“We can fly perfectly well, you know. I bet we could fly rings around you,” Will interjected.

Reala sighed. “I am not doubting your ability. I’m just not...would you like it if I decided to inhabit  _ your _ body like my own personal plaything?”

“But it's not quite like that, it's…” Helen struggled for the words. “Haven't you dualised with anyone before?”

“No.”

“Never?” Helen made a thoughtful noise, and Reala got the impression that information was being filed for later use.

They were now flying over the dusty barren land of the dreamscape, ravines rushing by as blurred of darkness carving up the dull brown. Reala scanned the horizon for the dark, twisted tree and hoped that he wasn't too late. If NiGHTS had already been taken away, Reala wasn't sure what he’d do. Could he really face Wizeman over this? Should he take the children or leave them somewhere else? Instinct said he'd be a better flyer without them, but knowledge insisted that they had both faced Wizeman before and won.

Luckily, the cage was still exactly where he’d left it, completely untouched. Helen and Will exchanged a look that Reala couldn't decipher, with occasional flicker towards the chasm below, but eventually Helen nodded.

“Set me down on the ground, Reala,” Helen instructed. “Will can get NiGHTS out, and you might need both hands.”

Reala grumbled - since when did he take orders from a human? - but could see the sense in her words. It would take some delicate flying to get close to the cage without being engulfed by it, and that could only be made easier by having less to burden him. He dropped Helen by the roots of the tree, taking a small amount of pleasure in the soft thud as she hit the ground. No one specified she was to be put down gently, after all.

Reala readjusted his grip on Will, both claws dug into Will’s shoulders. He winced a little but didn't protest, and Reala lifted him up to the cage.

“Will!” NiGHTS lit up.

Reala all but threw Will into the cage, not wanting to risk getting closer to it than absolutely necessary. They wasted no time dualising and they burst out of the cage, performing a joyous loop de loop that was all NiGHTS, before spiralling down to see Helen.

The next few minutes were a blur of hugs and tedious questions like ‘are you alright?’ and ‘what happened?’. At some point Will and NiGHTS had separated again - presumably to keep the conversation as simple as possible. Reala turned away from it all, wondering if he should slink away now before any other Nightmaren came across the scene.

As he was just making up his mind to leave, he was thrown to the side by a sudden weight barrelling into him. He glanced down to NiGHTS clinging to him.

“Thank you,” NiGHTS whispered, hugging him tightly.

Reala shook him off, but couldn't help a small upwards quirk of his mouth.

“I won't be making a habit of it,” he warned.

“I know. But--”

Reala would never know what NiGHTS was going to say. The earth shook with an almighty rumble and the sky darkened with pitch black clouds. Most terrifying of all, Reala felt the tug of Wizeman’s summons, impossibly close and powerful. NiGHTS gave him a wide-eyed stare before getting ahold of himself, swooping down to Helen and Will.

Even if they couldn't feel the summons, they could sense something big was coming, and they both dualised with him without further comment. Reala couldn't help a small shudder - dualising was bad enough with one human, but to spread yourself so thin and dualise with two...the two NiGHTS looked eerily similar, but their actions gave them away - Will-NiGHTS was frantically looking around to try and spot the danger, but Helen-NiGHTS had their eyes fixed on Reala.

“Go!” they shouted.

“Who would have thought,” came the unmistakable boom of Wizeman's voice, “that a trap for one wayward Nightmaren would become a trap for  _ two _ ?”

Wizeman appeared in all his terrible glory, his form looming impossibly large above them all, his hands watching every movement.

Reala trembled. Muscle memory was telling him to kneel, his instincts were telling him to fly away as fast as he could and his mind was racing, trying to come up with any plausible explanation that this was anything other than how it looked. His mind was blank.

“Wizeman!” the twin NiGHTS yelled in unison.

“I had wondered how NiGHTS kept escaping, but now I need wonder no more. To think that both my First Level Nightmaren had turned traitor…”

Reala couldn't think - couldn't move. He wanted to protest but the words rang hollow. He  _ was _ a traitor, he had knowingly and deliberately disobeyed a direct command. Even when he feared that this could be the outcome.

“Now I can deal with both traitors at once,” Wizeman said, swiping a great hand towards Will-NiGHTS.

A sudden calm seized Reala - the worst had happened. It couldn't possibly get any worse, all his fears were being played out right now. He dove forward, shoving Will-NiGHTS out of the way of Wizeman’s attack...only to find himself grasped tightly in one of those great staring hands. There was pressure as Wizeman squeezed and Reala cried out.

Helen-NiGHTS screamed. Will-NiGHTS shouted. Wizeman laughed and unfurled his hand. Reala was gone.


	8. Death And All Of His Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See end of chapter for specific possible triggers on this chapter.

_ No I don't want to battle from beginning to end _

_ I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge _

_ I don't want to follow Death and all of his friends _

_ (And, in the end, we lie awake, _

_ And we dream of making our escape) _

-Coldplay, Death and All of His Friends

 

There was a garden. Large sprawling lawns and tall leafy trees stretching their branches to the sky. A grand old mansion stood in the grounds, well-tended roses climbing up its walls.

A young boy - a human boy - sat curled up in the branches of a tree, streaked with mud. To Reala, it looked strange. Everything was too solid, too settled. Nothing like the shifting dreamscapes of Nightopia. But where was he?

A sharply dressed older human walked up to the tree and craned his neck to look up. Reala stared - it wasn't often he saw humans old enough to have grey hair and deep wrinkles. At least, they didn't seem to appear that way in their own dreams.

“Master Wizeman,” the man called, obviously addressing the boy in the tree. “Your father has requested your presence.”

“I don't wanna,” the boy drawled.

“Your father has instructed me that he will be furious if he must wait any longer.”

“I don't care!”

The man walked back to the house with a small dismissal hum.

Reala frowned. The boy had been called Master Wizeman, but the child couldn't have been further from Wizeman. For a start, he was  _ human _ . Small and powerless and annoying. He didn't know what to think. He was in a strange place, with no idea how he got there and nothing seemed to make sense.

The scene shifted around Reala, to inside a building. Children sat at neatly ordered wooden desks, with slates and thin fingers of chalk. The boy who had been called Master Wizeman was there, sat in the front row, his attention appearing to wander out the window. A stern-faced man stood in front of the children, a thin cane in his hands.

“James Wizeman, pay attention!” He shouted, striking the boy’s desk with his cane.

The boy jumped. “What?”

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say - the man’s face twisted in anger.

“Stand up, boy.”

The boy stood promptly.

“What - if anything - have you absorbed of the lesson today?”

“How to divide large numbers, sir,” the boy said hesitantly.

“We were learning about geography. Arithmetic was yesterday. Stand in front of my desk.”

The boy trembled as he walked forwards. Reala could only watch the wretched sight; the boy with his shoulders hunched and his lip worried between his teeth. There was a sudden thawp as the cane sailed through the air and struck the boy on the soft flesh on his upper legs.

Tears welled up in the boy’s eyes, but he remained silent as the cane hit him another four times. Reala tried to stop the cane - whether or not this truly was Master Wizeman, this kind of treatment was simply cruel. But the cane simply passed through him as if he were no more substantial than the air.

Reala tried to touch other objects - the desks, the empty inkwells, the pieces of chalk - all with the same result. He was like a ghost to the scene, able to watch the proceedings but not interact. No one seemed able to see him, either.

Finally, the boy was dismissed to sit in the corner, wearing a white conical hat and facing the wall. If anyone else heard the stifled sobs, they did a good job of pretending they heard nothing.

This scene melted away, too, leaving more questions in its wake. The scene now was that of a river, and a couple of boys playing alongside it. The boy Wizeman was one of them, though he looked taller than he had before.

They were pouncing on areas of calm water in the rocks, scooping things up with their hands.

“I caught one!” The other boy yelled joyously.

The boy Wizeman ran over, glee written over his face. Reala peered closely at the other boy - he had a frog carefully captured between his hands.

“Okay, now give it here.”

“Why? Get your own frog!”

“I want to see how easy it is to pull its legs off.”

The other boy cradled the frog closer to his chest protectively.

“Then you certainly aren't getting him! The frog’s not done anything to you.”

“Give it to me,” Wizeman insisted, trying to snatch the creature from the boy’s hands.

The boy twisted to protect the frog, but slipped on the rough, wet pebbles and tumbled to the ground. The frog flew from his grasp, safely landing in the river. Wizeman kicked at a stone, face fallen.

“I was only joking about pulling his legs off you know,” Wizeman said sulkily.

It was clear from the look on the other boy’s face that he didn't believe Wizeman. Neither did Reala.

The scene melted away again, to a grand parlour. Daylight streamed in through vast windows. Chairs were arranged by the fireplace and occupied - a woman was working at an intricately embroidered piece of linen and a man was reading a large sheaf of papers folded in the centre, occasionally turning a page. The boy Wizeman - now acquiring a little gangly length that marked him as less a boy now - was amusing himself with some cards at a table, shuffling them and laying them out, then collecting them up in a pattern Reala couldn't make any sense of. There was a tense atmosphere in the room - a strained, silent dread. On the table was a little wooden construct making noise. It was speaking in a sombre, male voice, steady and clear.

“James, turn up the wireless,” the woman said, steely calm.

Wizeman twisted a knob on the wooden box and the voice got louder. It spoke of many things - of places Reala had never heard of, people whose names he did not recognise. Reala could make out only one detail from the grim speech - there was to be a war.

Wizeman fiddled with the box and it fell silent. There was a long moment as no one spoke. Eventually, the man cleared his throat.

“We thrashed them before and we’ll thrash them again,” he said matter-of-factly. No one argued, but the tense faces said more than words could.

Eventually, Wizeman spoke, quiet and uncertain. “Father, the teachers said there could be another draft.”

“Yes, I rather suppose there will be, now. We shall have to do our duty to King and country, boy.”

Wizeman looked as if the thought made him queasy, but he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

This scene melted away, too, leaving Reala somewhere altogether more familiar - the dream gate. Reala experimentally touched a tree, but his claws passed straight through it. He was as insubstantial as he had ever been.

The young man Wizeman was stood on the edge of the solid plateau, looking down at the roiling black nothingness below. There was no friendly guide to warn him about the dangers, but he wore his fear openly. He knew that there was no coming back from that chaotic void.

Yet, his expression hardened, and he leapt into the abyss. Reala could only watch as the human plummeted into the black. The boy was gone.

Then, hands - disembodied and set with eyes - clawed their way out of the black. The terrible form of Master Wizeman followed, born from the chaos below. Slowly, Reala began to piece together what he had seen and a new understanding began to form.

Master Wizeman was human. Or at least had been. He had chosen certain destruction rather than face his life in the waking world. And destruction had chosen him in kind.

The scene melted again, and suddenly Reala was large - impossibly big, and could see from a tall vantage point...but also many lower ones, all from slightly different angles. The effect was nauseating, and Reala fought to focus on what he was seeing.

Two NiGHTS, zipping and weaving around his viewpoints and looping around disembodied hands. The sights themselves seemed to be moving, sickeningly different to each other, the motion making them blur and never stopping. It took Reala a long time to make sense of it all from his viewpoint higher up, but as time went on, he matched up the sway of one hand with a motion in his vision. He was seeing through the hands. Which meant...he was seeing everything from Master Wizeman’s point of view.

Experimentally, he tried moving a finger. Somewhere to the left of his main vision, a great hand twitched.

Reala - somehow - had dualized with Master Wizeman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some possible triggers for this chapter: caning as discipline in a school setting, mentions of animal abuse, distant parents, mentions of war and implied depressive thinking. All of them are relatively mild but considering that it is a darker tone than the rest of the fic, I thought it was best to give a warning.


	9. I'll Fight

_ I wanna see you fly _

_ Way beyond the sun _

_ Anything you're ever gonna dream _

_ I pray that it will come _

_ But if you ever fall down straight to the bottom _

_ And you can't get back where you started _

_ Any place any time _

_ You gotta know for you I'll fight _

-Daughtry, I’ll Fight

 

Reala stared out at the scene with fresh interest. He was no longer a witness to another time and another place. He could move - he could  _ control  _ \- Master Wizeman's body. So far, it seemed Master Wizeman was unaware of Reala’s presence. NiGHTS, Helen and Will were fighting Master Wizeman - without any particular degree of success. It was all they could do to keep themselves safe from Wizeman's clutching hands.

One such hand whistled around, trying to catch Will-NiGHTS unawares. Reala focused and tried to hold it back. All the hands on the right stopped moving entirely. In a fit of daring, he ceased the left hands, too. It was just as simple and easy as moving his own arms. Now everything had stopped moving sickeningly and he could actually get his bearings. They were in the same barren dreamscape as before - it seemed as though Reala’s trip through Wizeman’s...past? Memories?...had hardly taken any time, though it had felt like hours to Reala.

“What trickery is this?” Master Wizeman boomed, a note of panic in his voice. It felt rather strange to be hearing the words come out of what felt like your own mouth. Wizeman's voice was certainly less awe-inspiring from within his own body. Now Reala knew, he could hear the elements of the young human Wizeman in there.

Reala wanted to smirk. “Wizeman is human!” he declared through Wizeman’s own mouth.

Each NiGHTS looked confused - both at the sudden lack of movement and at the odd statements being made seemingly at random.

“Wizeman is human,” Reala repeated, realising the ramifications for himself.

Nightmaren were made to steal the Ideya of humans. Dualizing was meant to be a tool to help steal Ideya. Reala was dualized with Master Wizeman. Master Wizeman was  _ human. _

Reala could sense the Ideya deep inside - twisted and warped, but still there, at the core of Master Wizeman. He was made for this, for plucking out Ideya from within. It was with a savage glee that he ripped into them.

First, a deep crimson; cowering in a tree to avoid unknown wrath. Second, an eggshell blue; a white hat of shame in a dusty classroom. Third, a venomous green; an escaped frog and thwarted plans. Fourth, sickly yellow; a declaration of war and a future under threat. Finally, a cracked misty grey; a willing sacrifice to the darkness.

Reala seized them, and declared with a snarl: “There is no Master.”

With one final wrench, the Ideya came free, and there was no more Wizeman.

* * *

Reala has disappeared, saving Will-NiGHTS. Unmade before everyone's eyes, in retribution for saving them from the same fate. Then, it had been a chaotic whirl of trying to attack Wizeman while fending off his own attacks. Will and Helen flew like they had never flown before, drawing on every reserve of their practise and concentration to only narrowly avoid the same fate. Tight turns and acrobatic manoeuvres had saved them all too often, and Wizeman was starting to anticipate their movements and set up ambushes. Then, suddenly, he stopped completely.

Will-NiGHTS and Helen-NiGHTS stopped, keeping a wary lookout on those hands in case this was some sort of trick. Wizeman had cried out then, and if it were a trick, Wizeman had a greater acting capacity than either of them had thought possible.

Then the cryptic phrases: “Wizeman is human. There is no Master.”

They had no time to really process this, though a memory had bubbled through each NiGHTS, of a time and place long before the children’s time, of a flying duel between NiGHTS and Reala. Wizeman was screaming, voice ripping out agonised wails, hands clenching desperately against an attack he couldn’t fend off, then Wizeman was gone, evaporated away like a bad dream. In his place, the prone form of Reala fell to the ground, with five Ideya clutched tightly to his chest.

NiGHTS separated himself from the children and sped towards Reala, just reaching the Nightmaren as he hit the ground. After a second’s hesitation, the children ran after him.

NiGHTS knelt, hand trembling and outstretched towards Reala’s body. Reala wasn't moving.

“Reala?”

The children stopped a short distance away, each unwilling to be the first to confront NiGHTS with this bad news.

“Reala, please…” NiGHTS begged. “You can't be...you defeated Wizeman for good when we didn't think it could be done. You can't be gone, not after everything.”

NiGHTS fell silent, his hand resting on Reala’s shoulder.

Will and Helen exchanged a look. Sooner or later, someone would have to break it to NiGHTS that Reala wasn't coming back, but the words stuck in their throats.

Reala groaned.

“Reala!” NiGHTS exclaimed.

The children exchanged a wide-eyed look and said nothing.

“What, you thought Wizeman could ever kill me for good?” Reala asked, which would have been quite a bold statement if he hadn’t half choked the words out. He weakly pushed himself off the ground to a vaguely upright position, stiffly brushing the dust off himself.

NiGHTS engulfed him in a tight hug. “I couldn't help thinking the worst. After everything you've done for me…”

Reala extracted himself from the embrace. He couldn't see any of his actions as anything more than selfish self-preservation, but if NiGHTS wanted to believe otherwise, he could. He frowned, feeling something irritating his face. He reached up and his claws clacked on his persona mask. He ripped it off, throwing it down to the ground. Never again would Reala be a puppet.

NiGHTS smiled. “Finally ready to join the ‘traitor’?”

“Fine. But I’m still not helping humans or dualizing with them,” Reala huffed, gathering up the warped Ideya in his arms.

“Um,” Helen started, staring at Reala. “What just happened?"

“The hug? NiGHTS has always been one for sentiment - I thought you’d already noticed.”

“No, with…” Helen gestured at the scene around her. “Wizeman.”

“We thought he’d unmade you,” NiGHTS explained quietly.

“I’m sure he tried. I dualized with him instead. Turns out Wizeman was just a human who chose to steep himself in Nightmare. Just as frail as any other human. These,” Reala held up an Ideya. “Are his.”

NiGHTS looked shaken - he had clearly made the connection that Reala had ripped the Ideya from Wizeman. The children wore twin looks of confusion, still unused to thinking of Nightmaren - thinking of NiGHTS - as beings of their original purpose. Reala was suddenly struck with the thought - would NiGHTS have been capable of doing the same thing, if he had been in Reala’s position? Or would he have tried to find another way? Reala dismissed it. It was far too late now to worry about what might have been. Wizeman had tried to destroy them all, it was only fitting that he meet the same fate.

“I want to split the Ideya up and hide them,” Reala decided.

“Why?” Will asked.

“What do you think will happen when other Nightmaren learn that Wizeman is gone? I’m sure some of them will choose to do whatever they want. Others will continue collecting Ideya because that’s their habit, but that's hardly my concern. But I'm sure there will be a few that will convince themselves - or others - that things were better before. That they should find a way to bring him back.”

“Can that even happen? Someone being brought back into existence by their Ideya?” Helen asked.

“Do you want to take that risk?”

Helen admitted that she didn't. Privately, Reala admitted that she had a point - it might not even be possible for Wizeman to come back. But if anyone could, he probably would, and enough impossible things had happened today that Reala wasn't going to run that risk.

Eventually, they decided that everyone should take and hide an Ideya separately, that way no one human or Nightmaren would know where they all were. Quite possibly unnecessary, but Helen had suggested it, and Reala had liked the extra peace of mind it gave him. Reala had taken the extra Ideya on account of it being his plan, but he was starting to regret it once they had split up. As much as he was loathe to admit it, he was still weak from dealing with Wizeman.

Reala’s flight might have been slow and faltering, but steadily, he found two suitable hiding places, far apart from one another. Finally, he could rest.

* * *

The nights after Wizeman's fall were almost anticlimactic in their peace. There had been some minor petty squabbles amongst Nightmaren who didn't know what to do with themselves. Reala made the mistake of stepping in and sorting the conflicts early on - a force of habit to throw his seniority around like that - and now many Nightmaren saw him as a leader in place of Wizeman.

NiGHTS saw the funny side, even if Reala huffed and wished he had never gotten involved. Most of them were just hungry for a purpose and something to do, but they were so annoying with it, requesting Reala give them tasks all the time and sulking if Reala couldn't think of anything.

Eventually, he had hit on an elaborate courier system to keep them busy. One Nightmaren would pass a message to another Nightmaren, who would pass it onto a third Nightmaren and so on. The last Nightmaren in the chain would deliver that message to the first Nightmaren, but by this time the message had been so altered that they would not notice that they were passing the same message round again in a loop. Simple, yet absurdly effective.

NiGHTS visited him a lot, citing boredom, and Reala visited NiGHTS often, citing annoying Nightmaren and needing some peace. Neither were strictly honest, but it would take time before either was secure enough again to admit they simply liked each other's company. Sometimes there were visitors, and most of them, Reala avoided, but if Helen or Will happened to be there, he deigned to grace them with his presence.

“You like them really,” NiGHTS had teased.

“They're marginally more tolerable than other humans,” Reala admitted begrudgingly.

Still, his resolve to keep them at arm’s length was sorely tested one night, when Helen visited. He had just been racing with NiGHTS - and if you'd asked him, he was winning - when the child greeted them both chirpily.

“NiGHTS! Reala! Hello!” she called from the ground.

“Helen! How are you?” NiGHTS called back, breaking off the race by swooping down to the ground.

“Pretty good! I'm practising for a big violin recital soon - I'm in the national young musician championships.”

Reala didn't have a clue what she was talking about but nodded slowly all the same. NiGHTS was as excited as ever for his friend, even though Reala thought he probably understood about as much as him.

“That's great! You’re bound to win.”

Helen ducked her head modestly. “Well, we’re all very good and practising hard - if I don't win, I'll have lost to exceptionally talented people, so I don't mind.”

“What sort of attitude is that?” Reala found himself saying. “If you’re in this competition you're as good as any of them. Better, I'd say - how many of them have faced down Wizeman twice? So you’re going to win and make us proud.”

Helen smiled at the unorthodox pep talk. “Thanks. I'll do my very best.”

“You’ll be fine!” NiGHTS chirped with a little loop for emphasis. “Now, do you want to race? I was just beating Reala when you showed up.”

You weren't!” Reala protested. “I had a four-foot lead!”

“You forgot about the shortcut again - I always overtake you there,” NiGHTS said smugly.

NiGHTS had held out his hand as an invitation, but Helen turned away, regarding Reala thoughtfully.

“Why don't you and I race NiGHTS? I'll show you all his shortcuts.”

Reala froze.

“You want to dualize with me? Rather a foolhardy prospect, don't you think? You know what happened to the last human I dualized with.”

“Reala, I'm not Wizeman, and I'm not stupid or cruel enough to try and destroy you. And I don't think you’d be cruel enough to destroy me without provocation.”

Reala forced a grin, showing his sharp teeth to great effect. Once again, Helen had proven far more astute than he had given her credit for.

“Are you really willing to gamble on a mere hunch? I could rip out your Ideya easily. You wouldn't be able to stop me. NiGHTS wouldn't be able to stop me quickly enough, either,” Reala bluffed.

Honestly, given that his previous dualizing experience had been with Wizeman, who had had only a weak grip on his own feeble Ideya, he wasn't entirely sure how easily he could take another human’s - especially someone who had gone through so much to regain and retain their Ideya already. But the girl hardly needed to know that.

NiGHTS shuffled awkwardly, looking extremely uncomfortable at the tone of the conversation. Of course he would be - he was still ashamed of his Nightmaren heritage and the things he had done because of it. Any conversation that brought such things to the forefront of people's minds would be a sore spot for him. Reala had no such compulsion. He was what he was, and he couldn't change that, nor the things he'd done, so why feel guilty about something so outside your power?

Although maybe NiGHTS’ awkwardness was because he believed Reala might potentially make good on his threats and wanted to keep his friends from harm?

Helen merely extended a hand. “I trust you. I know you’re afraid of dualizing so--”

Reala snarled and took Helen’s hand. No one got to call him afraid. They dualized in a flash.

Reala was surprised by how normal it felt. He was still him, comfortably in his own body, limbs exactly where they ought to be and no more or less than he was used to. There was no strange presence moving his body for him; in fact, the only awareness he had of Helen was tucked away in the back of his mind, emanating a sense of smugness.

_ ‘Pleased with yourself?’  _ Reala asked.

_ ‘Very. I wasn't sure you’d fall for something that obvious.’ _

NiGHTS was already fretting. “Helen? Helen are you okay?”

_ ‘You know, it's almost sickening how much he cares about you humans,’  _ Reala sent. The unbidden thought,  _ ‘And how little he trusts me,’  _ followed, despite Reala not intending to broadcast it.

One of Reala’s claws, at Helen’s thought, raised, gave a little wave, then extended the thumb upwards, curling the rest of his talons into his palm. It was odd to see your own arm acting without your permission, but the gestures seemed to reassure NiGHTS, and afterwards, Helen left the arm to fall back to Reala's side.

“Reala? Are you okay?”

“Just fine,” Reala snapped. “No need to make a great fuss over something so simple as dualizing.”

Helen gave a derisive snort but otherwise kept her thoughts to herself. NiGHTS brightened up at the responses.

“Then isn’t there a race to get back to? Maybe the two of you can actually beat me for once!”

NiGHTS didn't wait for an answer, soaring swiftly into the air and leaving Reala and Helen to catch up if they could. Reala could hardly take the challenge lying down and followed him aloft.

It was only after a series of sharp turns and twists that Reala realised that Helen was keeping remarkably quiet and not interfering with his flying.

_ ‘Do you always sit back and let NiGHTS do all the work?’  _ Reala asked.

_ ‘I just thought you’d be more comfortable if you were in control. Was I wrong?’ _

_ ‘Irritatingly enough, no. But you can start helping now.’ _

Reala felt himself veer sharply left, directly towards a narrow gap between two great boulders. Reala panicked.

_ ‘Are you mad? We’ll never fit through there!’ _

_ ‘NiGHTS can with room to spare, and you’re not that much larger. We’ll be fine.’ _

Reala tried to wrest control back, tried to swerve upwards - if he managed a sharp enough angle he could just avoid colliding - but Helen was too willful. He could barely manage a twitch of his own claws but nothing more and they were going to crash and they were going too fast and picking up more speed. Reala screwed his eyes shut and waited for the thud.

When Helen prised his eyes back open again a moment later, they were past the boulders, miraculously.

_ ‘You know how much harder it is to fly when you can't see what you’re doing?’  _ Helen grumbled.

_ ‘How did we get through there?’ _

_ ‘I was right; you can fit through there. Easily, in fact, we didn't even touch the sides.’ _

_ ‘We could have crashed.’ _

_ ‘Would you just trust me? I knew we could make it and we did. I've flown this circuit enough times that I know what I'm doing.’ _

_ ‘I couldn't move,’  _ Reala protested, hating how vulnerable the admittance made him feel.

_ ‘I thought you might panic and if we had both tried moving in different directions, we  _ would _ have crashed. You can take the helm now if you like.’ _

Reala tried a slight lean to the right to test he could. It was frankly embarrassing how relieved he was to find his body obeying his commands again.

_ ‘You know, you worry a lot more than NiGHTS.’ _

_ ‘NiGHTS has never worried enough.’ _

_ ‘I'd say you worry a little too much. Funny, it almost balances out between the two of you.’ _

Reala refused to comment further. Being mindful of the worst that could happen had kept him safe when Wizeman was still around and he didn't see any reason to change now.

_ ‘True, it has helped you in the past,’  _ Helen admitted. Reala hadn’t been aware that that thought had been public - it was trickier than it seemed to keep things private when someone else was in your head.  _ ‘But now he’s gone, your worrying is only holding you back. You’ll be happier if you can break the habit, I promise.’ _

_ ‘How would you know?’ _

_ ‘Personal experience of being a lifelong worrier.’ _

_ ‘What could you possibly have to worry about?’ _

_ ‘Everything and nothing. Doesn't really matter what it is - once you’re in the habit of worrying, even the smallest things can feel like the end of the world if they go wrong. Even if they're ultimately harmless.’ _

_ ‘Crashing would not have been harmless,’  _ Reala pointed out.

_ ‘You’ve shrugged off worse. Yes, it'd hurt, but not for long. Your pride would be injured more than your body.’ _

_ ‘Well, I quite like having  _ my  _ pride intact.’ _

_ ‘You could stand to have it dented every now and again,’  _ Helen stated, without a trace of malice.

Helen urged their body to take a corner slightly sharper than Reala would have done, banking hard. Reala noticed how narrow the gap was between him and NiGHTS now. Maybe Helen wasn't completely wrong here, already she was making small alterations to their flight that she’d evidentially picked up from NiGHTS - and they were working to give him just a fraction more speed than he’d had before. Interestingly, Reala was still in control - he wasn't surrendering his body - more that they were working in tandem. Reala controlled the broad brush strokes of where to go and how fast and Helen altered and suggested subtle changes to make them more efficient. It almost came as a surprise when he got within touching distance of NiGHTS, then put on a burst of speed to surpass him.

They finished the lap a hair ahead of NiGHTS, and landed, Helen undualizing promptly. Reala didn’t feel the fatigue he had at the undualizing with Wiseman - if anything, he felt more energised like he'd hardly been flying a race at all. He supposed that was Helen’s work during the race, and undualizing voluntarily. He made a mental note to ask NiGHTS sometime when no visitors were around.

“That wasn't so bad, huh?” Helen said with a smile. “And look, all five Ideya safe and sound!”

“Fine. Doesn't mean this is going to be a regular occurrence,” Reala huffed.

NiGHTS swooped close and pouted. “You know, two against one really isn't fair when one of you knows all my tricks.”

“I wouldn't worry, it won't happen again,” Reala stated.

“Didn't you like it?”

“Loathed every second,” Reala lied with as much venom as he could muster.

Helen smiled, suggesting that once again, Reala had been seen through. “I quite enjoyed it. It's interesting how different you two are.”

Reala glared, almost regretting not seizing her Ideya before she had the chance to spill any personal information on him. Helen carried on, undeterred.

“You,” she gestured at NiGHTS, “are really agile and can make some turns and small spaces that Reala can’t, but you feel...fragile, somehow. Like one big impact would shatter us like glass. But Reala,” she continued, turning to face him, “is reassuringly solid. Very strong and dependable. And I think he might actually be a little faster in a straight line.”

“I  _ know  _ I’m faster,” Reala retorted.

“Prove it,” NiGHTS laughed and flew off.

Reala followed without a second thought.

He could get used to this, how normal it felt just to spend time with NiGHTS...and if he was truly honest with himself, Helen and Will, too. Reala had never realised just how lonely he had been, hiding behind a mask. He still tried to hide, as a force of habit, but it was plain to see the cracks were beginning to show. For once, this was not a terrifying thought. This was life without Wizeman - life being a traitor - and he could only think of himself as a fool for waiting for it this long. 

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to my beta reader and partner, Ally; who knows literally nothing about the fandom and canon yet still helped me whip this into shape from a typo-ridden and weak first draft into what you see today. 
> 
> There is a Spotify playlist for all the songs in this fic here: https://open.spotify.com/user/amewinters/playlist/7bfTMQfpyCnQECv4h3TIT4  
> Every song is the chapter's events from Reala's point of view. 
> 
> This fic is a rewrite of an unfinished work of the same name I started on fanfiction.net many years ago. I rediscovered it and decided that I wanted to continue it, but quickly realised that it was going in a very different direction than my original intentions. Some of the original draft is still around in the first few chapters, though heavily edited and polished, so if you're wondering if it seems oddly familiar, that would be why!


End file.
